he did a little amateur production about a week before he died with full energy though he was incredibly frail. he said to a friend, i should have run a national theater. that's what i should have done with my life. >> charlie: (laughing) did it impact his writing? >> in fact... charlie: simon. his writing is a performance. charlie: exactly. you feel more than you do with any other great writer in the presence of the author you feel him doing it for you, wanting your admiration for the virs yosity of the different voices that he employs. even the passages are like great arias. it's all a performance. >> his daughter reported that she saw him standing in front of a mirror and acting something out. he asked her about it. he gave her a very interesting answer. he said, well, if you asked someone to list the ways in which an old man walks he might think of eight or ten things but a decent actor is imitating 100 mowings. he would rush to his desk after acting out and write down what he had just done. the acting and the writing were won. snairlts robert, you were going to add what? >> don't ta